Our Team

Our Staff

Our staff is made up of a committed team working in counselling, public education, client care, outreach, police and court support, volunteer management, communications, and administration. To reach any of these departments or for someone specific, please contact our general office line at 780.423.4102.

Our Volunteers

SACE is grateful to have over 80 volunteers on our support and information line, as well as volunteers who help with fundraising, administrative support, and special projects.

Our Board

Contact Info

E-MAIL

info@sace.ca

PHONE

780.423.4102

FAX

780.421.8734

HOURS OF OPERATION

Monday – Thursday
9 am – 5 pm

ADDRESS

Suite 205
14964 – 121A AveEdmonton, AB T5V 1A3

Devin Laforce

Chair

Devin Laforce is the current Staff Sergeant of the Sexual Assault Section for the Edmonton Police Service. This is his seventeenth year with the EPS, and his career has included patrol, crime scenes investigation, criminal investigations, and organization administration.

Part of this history included working as a detective in the sexual assault section where he learned about the complex victimology surrounding such cases, as well as other investigative challenges.

Devin is also a part-time instructor at MacEwan University where he has taught courses in criminal investigations and forensic science.

Devin was born and raised in Edmonton and is proud to call this City his home. He is married to Christa Laforce, who currently works as a Sargeant in the Child Protection Section for the EPS, and together they have three sons. Devin’s family life keeps him involved with sports teams, scouts, and other community activities.

Contact Info

E-MAIL

info@sace.ca

PHONE

780.423.4102

FAX

780.421.8734

HOURS OF OPERATION

Monday – Thursday
9 am – 5 pm

ADDRESS

Suite 205
14964 – 121A AveEdmonton, AB T5V 1A3

Allison M. Downey-Damato

Past Chair

Allison Downey-Damato earned early admission to the U of A Faculty of Law and graduated in 1999. After articling and practicing civil litigation with a large private Edmonton firm, she came to Edmonton Prosecutions in 2002.

Since becoming a Crown, Allison has primarily prosecuted in the area of family protection specializing in intimate partner violence, sexual assaults, stalking, high risk offenders, and child abuse. In 2004, Allison became the lead prosecutor on sexual assaults in Edmonton and then moved onto to domestic and sex-related homicides in 2007.

In 2009, Allison became the Assistant Chief Crown Prosecutor in charge of the Family Protection Section in Edmonton. In addition to supervising 10 to 16 prosecutors, she oversaw all family violence and high risk offender files in Edmonton. She also continued to carry a caseload of serious, high profile cases while advocating for better solutions to handling family and domestic violence in the justice system.

Allison has held the positions of Media Spokesperson and Education Coordinator for the Edmonton office over the years. She has lectured extensively to police, probation officers, students, volunteers, victim advocacy groups, medical, and mental health professionals. She has built strong relationships with stakeholders who work in the area of intimate partner violence, high risk offenders, sexual assault, and child abuse.

In June 2015, Allison was seconded to the Policy and Planning Branch of Alberta Justice and Solicitor General as the Domestic Violence Project Coordinator.

Jennifer Forsyth

Treasurer

Jennifer Forsyth is the Managing Director of Finance Strategic Support Units at ATB Financial and previously held senior financial roles with Horton CBI, the Canadian division of CB&I, and Sysco Edmonton, a division of Sysco Corporation.

Jennifer is a Chartered Professional Accountant and obtained her designation while articling with KPMG in Calgary. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan. Jennifer spent six years on the Board of YWCA Edmonton, including her last year as President. She is proud to be part of the Board of an organization that provides such valuable services to the community.

Shawna Grimes

Secretary

Shawna Grimes is a twenty-five year member of the Edmonton Police Service. She is currently serving as the Inspector in charge of West Division. She has previously worked as the Staff Sergeant of Homicide Section and Sexual Assault Section. She has also spent time as a detective in a number of different investigative areas, as a patrol sergeant and in Training Section, teaching use of force and firearms training.

Jodi Goebel

Jodi is a brand new mom, having recently welcomed a baby girl to the family with her husband, Joel, and is currently on maternity leave from the City of Edmonton where she is a Director of Business Strategy. Prior to joining the City, Jodi worked overseas as a business development and marketing professional with a number of technology companies, and in rural Alberta as the Manager of a Regional Economic Development Alliance.

Jodi is also an avid volunteer with a passion for women’s issues and a deep interest in board governance. She spent a number of years as an instructor with the Province of Alberta’s Board Development Program, is the past Co-Chair of Edmonton’s NextGen, and most recently co-founded a new organization that provides practical guidance for young women in the workplace through an event series called “What I Wish I Knew”.

Jodi completed a Bachelor of Commerce Degree at the University of Alberta, majoring in Business Economics and Business Law.

Keltie Gower

Keltie has been an Instructor at MacEwan University for the past eight years teaching marketing, organizational behavior, and sustainable business. She is currently the Senior Manager of Roundhouse, a co-operative working space located within MacEwan University that focuses on social innovation and social entrepreneurship. Keltie is passionate about sustainability, creating business for the greater good, giving back to the community, and mentorship.

Keltie also loves to travel, having already visited six of the seven continents.

Barbara van Ingen

Dr. Barbara van Ingen is the Vice-President Student Life and Learning at Concordia University of Edmonton. She is a Counselling Psychologist, registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists and a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta since 2003.

Dr. van Ingen researched post-traumatic stress disorder, cyberbullying, and as the co-chair of Concordia’s Interdisciplinary Research Cluster on Wellness, is currently researching university student wellness. In 2016, Dr. van Ingen was trained in the Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA) Sexual Assault Resistance Education Program, and regularly facilitates this 12-hour small group, empirically based intervention at Concordia.

Kasey Machin

As Community Liaison and Policy Advisor to Ward 1 Edmonton City Councillor, Kasey leverages an in-depth understanding of policy-making to identify challenges, find opportunities and recommend innovative solutions. Working closely with stakeholders to gather knowledge and build consensus, she manages the development and implementation of policy objectives in order to advance targeted initiatives based on evidence and best practice.

Kasey has sat on numerous boards and committees including Vice-Chair of Equal Voice Alberta North for several years before co-founding Parity YEG- a bold, grassroots, multi-partisan organization that aims to change culture by empowering women to take leadership roles in public service. With over 20 years volunteer experience within her local community, Kasey tackles challenges through committee involvement, advocacy and education. Her passion for her community and the people who call Edmonton home are what motivates her to make the city she loves a more equitable place for all.

Deb Manz

Recently retired from her role as the CEO of the Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors (ACAC), Deb Manz has a strong background in executive management and strategic leadership. In this role, she was recognized, both nationally and internationally, as a leader in the chiropractic profession.

An MBA from the University of Alberta, with a specialization in human resources and organizational development, complements a variety of private and public sector positions. Past positions include President of the Better Business Bureau of Edmonton and Northern Alberta; Vice President, WCB Alberta, and Director of Finance and Administration for the City of Leduc.

Deb’s community involvement includes 11 years with the Board of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation (including three years as Chair), former Vice Chair and Board Member of the Telus World of Science Edmonton, and is currently a member of the Boards of Habitat for Humanity Edmonton and the Mental Health Foundation. Deb is also a member of the Glenora Rotary Club.

A seasoned traveler, Deb has enjoyed travels to many countries with her husband, David.

Margot Ross-Graham

Margot Ross-Graham (CHRP, CPCC) is the owner of Sandbar Coaching and Consulting. She is an experienced senior executive who, prior to founding her own business, held executive roles in private industries ranging from Financial Services to Consulting Engineering.

Margot provides facilitation and consulting services in areas such as Strategic Planning, Leadership and Talent Development, Succession Planning, Change and Transition, and Organizational Design. Her commitment to excellence and customer service has resulted in repeat engagements with a variety of public and private sector clients, including the City of Edmonton, provincial agencies, and several small and midsize Alberta companies.

A passionate community volunteer, Margot is a University of Alberta VMS Mentor, past president of the Edmonton Glenora Rotary Club, and was recently appointed to the Travel Alberta Board of Directors.

You can hear Margot at 7:40 am every Tuesday on CBC Radio One (93.93 FM), where she is Edmonton AM’s Workplace Columnist.

Jonathan Taves

Jonathan is a born and raised Edmontonian who has been engaged in politics much of his adult life, in particular on the municipal level. Currently he works in communications and policy at City Hall, where he has been since 2012, with the exception of a year away working in market research consulting.

Jon has been a volunteer on a number of election campaigns, and during university, he was the news editor for the student newspaper. During his spare time, Jon follows the Oilers (sadly), enjoys being active by cycling and swimming, as well as visiting the mountains and getting outside with his new dog. Jon is interested in becoming involved with SACE because of the pervasiveness of harmful attitudes and behaviours surrounding the issue of sexual assault. He believes that everyone has a part to play in the change that is required, and community engagement beyond just the perpetrators is necessary.

Advisory Members

Terrie Affolder

Terrie Affolder has been a Police Officer with the Edmonton Police Service for just over 22 years and is currently the Staff Sergeant in charge of the Sexual Assault Section. As a constable, she started in the South Division Patrol. From there, she moved into other positions, including undercover with the South Street Team, Recruit and Selection Unit, and in the Detainee Management Unit. Terrie was then promoted to Sergeant in the Information Management Approval Centre. Before her promotion to the Sexual Assault Section, Terrie was a Detective in both Child Protection and the Homicide Unit.

In her spare time, Terrie loves to participate in as many sporting activities as possible, including skiing, soccer, yoga, paddle boarding, and hiking. With any other free time, Terrie loves to travel.

Danielle Green

Danielle Green earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of British Columbia in 2001. She received her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta in 2005. Danielle is originally from British Columbia and returned there for her Articles between 2005 and 2006 at a civil litigation firm. In September, 2006, she returned to Edmonton and began working with Edmonton Prosecutions.

Since becoming a Crown Prosecutor, Danielle’s main areas of practice have been in the area of intimate partner violence, sexual assaults, and child abuse, and she has prosecuted extensively in these areas over the past 13 years. Over the last few years, Danielle has also had the opportunity to provide training and instruction to her fellow Crown Prosecutors, volunteers with Victim Services and Child Advocacy Centres, and members of various police agencies. In doing so, she has had the privilege to work closely together with various stakeholders in the Criminal Justice System, including the Zebra Child Protection Centre.

In December, 2015, Danielle became an Assistant Chief Crown Prosecutor. While continuing to prosecute a volume of serious files, including homicides, child abuse, and intimate partner violence, Danielle is also responsible for directly supervising a number of prosecutors and overseeing several portfolios within Edmonton Prosecutions, including Child Protection, High Risk Offenders, and Education.

Healing starts with believing.

SACE is a not-for-profit charitable organization that supports children, youth, and adults who have experienced sexual abuse or assault, and educates the public about sexual violence.